Maerys Joseph said the weather delay on Friday was rough at first but it eventually helped her get the bad nerves out.

"I came out and gave it my all today,Ē Joseph said. "We came out here to do our best and show people what we could do and we are one of the best. Weíre just so proud of ourselves and we hope to do even better next year.Ē

Joseph won her first individual title and said it feels good to finally win at the state level.

"This is my third time competing at state and Iím just so glad to be here,Ē Joseph said. "Iím glad I ran the 800 and it took a lot of hard work for me to get here and Iím so proud of my team that we came out runner-up after all the hard work and dedication we put in.Ē

The performance of Jehovah-Jirehís Randy Carter Jr. helped prove that point Thursday night at the Louisiana High School Athletic Association/State Farm Track and Field meet.

Carter battled through seasonal allergies to win three events in the Class C boys competition on the first day of the three-day LHSAA event at the LSUís Bernie Moore Track Stadium. After winning the 1,600 meters earlier, Carter offered a blunt assessment of what the best part of the race was.

"The best part of it was to finish,Ē Carter said. "At the end of the first lap Alex (Lewis of Holy Rosary) passed me. Thatís when I knew I had to pick it up.Ē

Carter won the 1,600 meters in 4 minutes, 51.12 seconds and then came back to win the 800 (2:11.01) and the 3,200 (10:53.05). He also placed third in the 400 meters.